


Makes the Heart Grow Somber

by detectivelion



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Long-Distance Relationship, Mild forms of self harm, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 10:00:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11311038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/detectivelion/pseuds/detectivelion
Summary: One call. Nevermind the fact that they’d planned this days in advance. That their schedules rarely line up and Lea hasn’t seen their faces in over a week. That it was Xion’s birthday, and they’d specifically cleared the day to  make sure nothing could interrupt them.It doesn’t. Matter.





	Makes the Heart Grow Somber

It’s been in the back of his mind since he got it. Sitting there, niggling at his thoughts, gnawing at them, shaving them away piece by piece and leaving them raw, aching, infected. Like a disease, it spread, taking root until he could no longer ignore it.

The chances of it actually being a big deal are slim, if he’s honest. Stuff happens. It’s not the first time. They all have had to cancel on each other in the past, when someone lets a paper go too long or forgot an appointment or _something_ gets in the way. They’re all leading busy lives—college, work, friends outside of each other—and those don’t always allow for plans to work out as intended. So, really, it likely doesn’t matter. It’s just one call.

_‘Sorry, gotta cancel the call for the day. We’ll talk later. <3’_

One call. Nevermind the fact that they’d planned this days in advance. That their schedules rarely line up and Lea hasn’t seen their faces in over a week. That it was Xion’s birthday, and they’d specifically cleared the day to  make sure nothing could interrupt them.

It doesn’t. _Matter_.

Roxas and Xion hadn’t made plans, they’d told him. Their next pay dates didn’t come until after her birthday, so they were just taking the time off to spend together. Make dinner and have cake over Skype with Lea. But, maybe that had changed, and they’d decided to go out after all. There was a nice restaurant just a few miles away from their college, in Daybreak Town. Maybe Roxas had reserved a spot to surprise her. He’d wear the suit he bought for a dance, a black one with a white button-up shirt, a red tie to match Lea’s own and Xion’s ruby necklace. She would have her favorite dress, dRK, sparkling material and a low neckline that framed her collarbones and begged for them to be kissed. Flats, not heels, because Roxas insisted that they be the same height, he would not be the shortest of the three. And the two of them would smile at each other across the table and say sappy things that made them smile and laugh. Roxas and Xion were romantics like that.

Or maybe they just enjoyed how it drove Lea up the wall, left him blushing hard and dropping his gaze.

And—then, after dinner, they would get dessert from the bakery Olette works at. White cake with vanilla filling and pineapple pieces. Would eat it on the couch of their dorm together, still in their suit and dress, with fingers instead of forks. All without sparing Lea a thought.

It makes his heart stutter, but not in the way that's normal when he thinks of them.

They had already agreed that nothing would change when Lea flew out of state. He wouldn’t make Roxas and Xion stop seeing each other because he was out of the picture frame. They could go on dates and make out in the car like they were still in high school. And often, they rang him up on Skype to act like he was there with them. All three of them were in a relationship, and even if only two could be together, Lea was not going to be bitter about their happiness.

Though it doesn’t stop him from pressing his palm between his teeth and biting down hard. Or from taking out his phone to type a question, a _‘what’s wrong?’_ a _‘why’d you cancel?’_ and then deleting them both.

He’s _trying_. And he knows what they’ll think of a message like that, doesn’t dare send it even in less accusatory words. He needs to trust them. Can’t make that mistake again, even if fear is making his head pound.

He decides to grab his coat and leave instead. Staying in his apartment will only make him work himself up further, and then he’ll be struggling to keep from banging his head on the wall and not just biting bruises into his hand. Better to take a walk and let himself cool down.

‘Cool down’ in a very literal sense. The sky is covered in black clouds that threaten rain, and the chill bites into his skin as he zips his coat tighter. He thinks about getting ice cream, dismisses the idea a moment later and opts to get tea instead. Sweet, spiced, his favorite. And one that doesn’t make him think of his partners, living far out of reach and out of sight. The warmth of the drink melts into his bones, and it helps him loosen up as he pops some earbuds in on his way back home.

Then a raindrop hits his nose. More on the concrete. Lea flips his hood up and stuffs his phone into his pocket, and then it’s pouring. Coming down in buckets, getting his pants wet where his coat doesn’t reach and smacking heavily on his skull.

“Fuck!”

He shouts it. Glares at the sky and bellows again: _“Fuck!”_

Like it’ll make the rain stop. Make him appear back in his apartment, warm and dry. Make his damn partners call him on Xion’s _damn_ birthday, because they know, they _know_ he hates the distance, and he can’t _stand_ not hearing their voices for so long so why the _hell_ couldn’t they trouble themselves to leave a _fucking voicemail_ instead of empty words on a screen—

His phone is buzzing. Lea doesn’t even try to shield it from the rain, just wrenches it up to his ear to bite out, “ _What_?”

There’s silence. Then, a timid, _“Lea?”_

“…Roxas?”

He can hear the long breath on the other line. The hesitant, _“Are you okay?”_ laced with concern, too.

Lea’s shoulders lower. There’s something trying to crawl down his throat all of a sudden, thick and hard to swallow. Guilt.

“Yeah.” He coughs, erasing the crack from his voice. “Yeah, I’m. Fine. Just frustrated from getting caught in a storm.”

_“Where are you?”_

“Almost home, don’t worry.” It’s annoying, how fast his anger drains, and leaves nothing but a sick feeling in his stomach for being so angry in the first place. “Xi with you?”

“ _Yeah, she’s here.”_ He hears her voice, distant and unintelligible, to which Roxas replies, _“Almost, hang on.”_ To Lea, _“We’re actually taking shelter from the rain, too. It started up out of nowhere! We’re soaked, Xion looks like a drowned cat and—_ ow! _Hey!”_

The _smack_ had sounded cleanly over the line.

Laughter sputters from Lea’s mouth, echoed by the two over the phone. Roxas’, loud and high. Xion’s giggles, a wide smile hidden by curled fingers. Warmth is bursting in his chest. They laugh, until all three lapse into quiet giggles and are catching their breath.

When Roxas speaks again, his voice is a sigh. “Get home quickly, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I told you, I’m almost there.”

“Hurry. Xion and I are staying in the rain until you get home. I mean it. So get your ass in gear, it’s freezing out here.”

“Yeah, right. Twilight Town doesn’t even get heavy rain, you big baby.” His feet pick up anyway. The complex he lives in is close now, and he’s fishing the keycard out of his pocket as he walks.

Roxas doesn’t grace him with a reply, just laughs. From across the parking lot, at the entrance to the complex, another guy laughs in sync with him.

Lea’s eyes follow the sound. Roxas and Xion beam at him and wave.

He says, “ _What_ the hell.”

If there’s a reply, Lea doesn’t hear it. He’s sprinting, and they’re whooping with delight when he crashes right into them. It’s a mess of bodies, legs bumping and arms darting to catch each other before they can slip and fall on the concrete.

“You’re here,” he croaks, half a laugh and half a sob. One hand is in each of theirs, clinging tight. “What the fuck, you’re here, you’re—” Cuts himself off to crush Roxas to his chest and pull Xion into a kiss that scalds his rain-chilled lips.

There’s a quiet smack when they part, and Lea breathes out, “Happy birthday,” before kissing her again, and then Roxas, and then pulling them both into a hug and pressing his face into their hair.

“Roxas got paid early,” Xion explains, voice muffled in his coat. They’re all soaked to the bone, but none of them seem to care. “He asked what I wanted to do for my birthday. I said—”

“—You.” Roxas picks up. “She—we—wanted to see you. I-I’m sorry, we should have explained but it was at the last second, and…”

Lea shushes him. Just shakes his head, smiling so wide it hurts. “Don’t care. You’re here. Let’s…” Words fail him, so he just gestures to the door.

It’s going to hurt, when they have to leave. The longer they stay, the less he’ll want them to go, and he never wanted them to do that to begin with. But they’re here now, and they envelop him in another hug, and he has no intention to let go for a long while.

**Author's Note:**

> Continuing to move my tumblr fics over here. Akurokushi will always be beautiful


End file.
